Legend of the Six Pokemon
by Henry
Summary: Lance the Dragon Master' explains the misfortune of the future he hails from, and the true nature of the six Pokemon, but he may not have time to implement his plan, given how many of those six Pokemon stand in his way. Fifth in the 'Six Pokemon' series.


**The Legend of the Six Pokemon**

By Henry and Nate Z

_Birth Island_

"You want me to tell you a story, Giovanni?" the red-haired man riding on Rayquaza's head asked, seeming at least somewhat skeptical amongst his overflowing arrogance. "Why, pray tell?"

"Because I had heard this man killed me," Giovanni responded, casually indicating the slow bubble of sea water as Henry steadily sank beneath the waves. Mew kept trying to reach him, but Deoxys's tendrils kept the tiny psychic cat well enclosed. "And yet I'm still alive, and he's been pursuing me just as he always did… and then I hear from a few of his allies that he had powers, which is why he managed to kill me at all.

"Furthermore, those same allies of his have apparently made his existence publicly known, even to Professor Oak," Giovanni continued. "That contradicts what I remember of him; beforehand only Lance the Dragon Master knew of his continued existence for certain, and kept the details to himself. If you'd be so kind as to explain just what happened, who you are, and what you know about the six Pokemon I'm trying to collect?"

'Lance the Dragon Master' smiled. "You're catching on, Giovanni. Before I answer your question, I insist that you answer mine; how many of the six Pokemon's identities do you know for sure?"

"Five," Giovanni answered simply, Maxie drawing nearer to hear what both men were saying. "Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza-" he paused, glancing up at the emerald dragon, "-were the most obvious, and then I knew-" again he paused, smiling fondly at the struggling Mew, "- that the first Pokemon was the key. Deoxys was the travel system; five creatures of incredible strength and specified, unique capability."

"Not bad," 'Lance' observed. "Very correct, Giovanni. You're as cunning as ever…" He turned to the green creature on his shoulder, and it floated downward. "This one is the least essential, but it serves its purpose. Do you know which creature this is?"

Giovanni's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Celebi."

'Lance' nodded. "Now then… the legend…"

_The Pokemon League limited all Pokemon trainers to six Pokemon at the very start of registration, before I began my journey. They didn't even realize why they did; they only had a vague perception of the reasons, based on the legendary creatures of their region._

_In Kanto, there are six' legendary' creatures: Arcanine, only more recently revealed in ease to obtain; the three winged mirages Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres; Dragonite, the rarest of all dragon Pokemon, and of course, the scarcely seen creature once dubbed a new specie… Mew._

_In Johto, likewise, there are six legendary beasts: Lugia, the guardian of the sea; Ho-oh, the phoenix and protector of Ecruteak; Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, the three Pokemon Ho-oh reincarnated, and Celebi, the guardian of Ilex Forest and protector of the time stream._

_Finally, in Hoenn, the creation of the world is attributed to Groudon, creator of land, Kyogre, creator of sea, and Rayquaza, creator of sky. These three are the most famous, but three other elemental entities known as Regirock ,Regice, and Registeel serve the part as protecting the history entombed in the region._

_However, with what limited research we have, we can confirm that Mew is the first Pokemon; only a few of them exist in the entirety of the world, but unlike some of the other legendary creatures, such as Groudon and Rayquaza, they are capable of reproduction like no other creatures in the Pokemon world. If our science and our folktales are correct, Mew is directly responsible for the birth of all other Pokemon, including the legendary beasts that created and watch over this world._

_Though each region has its own specific reasons for each creature being established as a legendary creature, fundamentally, only five of those I mentioned are essential. Groudon can create the land, Kyogre the sea, and Rayquaza the sky. Those three have the power to create an entire world._

_Then comes Celebi; traveling through time freely and adjusting time as necessary in specific locations. With Celebi's aid, I have effectively undone the wrongdoings of that fallen master sinking beneath the waves and granted to myself my body in its physical prime, as will befit me for the eternity I now have to live._

_Deoxys is the Pokemon I failed to mention; it is one of the only Pokemon capable of traveling through the boundaries of space and thus escaping from the confines of this planet. This gift is thanks to Deoxys's unique genetic structure, allowing it to excel in any area it needs to at will, making it potentially the most powerful of all Pokemon._

_However, they are all ultimately secondary to Mew. That psychic cat is the key to creating all the other Pokemon in the first place; with Mew, one can seed the planet with all the new life it needs._

"So, Giovanni," 'Lance' continued. "You have two of the six in your possession. I have two others here before me. That leaves only two left for us to claim." He paused to smirk. "I know you care only for yourself, but might you be willing to compromise and ally with me, given what I'm offering you?"

Giovanni smiled back. "It seems I owe you my life, young man. You've just given me one more reason to join with you."

Sinking beneath the ocean waves, Henry was struggling to process all that had just happened while simultaneously trying to prevent himself from drowning, still recovering after receiving Deoxys's Psycho Boost into his back. He was trying to move, to get back to Mew and to Giovanni, but he only kept sinking, the water growing darker and the evening light almost completely gone from view.

He had to live, or so he kept reminding himself. He was trying to lift up, but painful as the water in his lungs was, he found it comfortable to resign himself, sinking deeper, death drawing closer to him… until he slid one hand into his jacket pocket and felt a sphere, and felt an intense rush of powerful instinct.

_**Drought.**_

Henry's eyes opened again. He felt himself land on the ocean floor and sink beneath it, passing through the ground and falling beneath it, into a place of intense heat… albeit intense heat with some oxygen for him to cough and gasp within.

Henry glanced around and saw only red rock and steam… and a familiar pair of yellow eyes, belonging to a powerful armored Pokemon.

_Blackthorn City_

Sharon ventured to the top of the mountain the housed the Dragons' Den, barely paying any mind to Clair or even Melody who insisted on following. Upon reaching the summit, she regarded the Silver Feather, then looked to the sky, watching a speck among the clouds began to grow larger and larger.

She stood unfazed as Lugia, the Legendary Guardian landed in front of her, awaiting orders.

She then gave Clair the fright of her life as she set the feather down on the ground.

"I need to speak with my friend," Sharon said calmly. "I have no use for a slave."

Lugia seemed confused. It then began blinking and shaking his head. Finally, it looked down at the women gathered in front of it, seemingly with a new sense of clarity.

_"Sharon?"_ Lugia mind-spoke. _"What is happening?"_

"Read my mind," she replied. "I wouldn't know where to start with words."

The beast nodded and closed its eyes. A few seconds passed, and when it opened them again, it was not happy.

_"This must be stopped. This man will shatter the Balance of Things."_

"Something we all agree on," Sharon nodded. "Cap says we need to get to Birth Island. Do you know where it is?"

"_Yes, and we must hurry._"

"What is it?" Melody asked.

"_The one you call Henry,_" Lugia replied grimly. "_His life is in terrible danger._"

_Ecruteak City_

"I hate to interrupt," Cap said as he and Lisa crashed the meeting between Silver and Lance the Dragon Master. "But we need to get going."

"You've already captured Ho-Oh?" Silver asked, obviously surprised.

"In a manner of speaking," Cap replied.

"Wait, what?" Lance asked. "Who are you?"

"We don't owe you any explanations," Cap said, more coldly than he intended to. "Just like Silver doesn't owe us any explanations as to why he's here instead of Blackthorn. Though to be fair, if you'd told us you were going to meet with Lance, I would've factored that into the plan."

"I don't remember electing you leader," Silver said darkly.

"You got a point," Cap said, holding back Lisa's verbal assault.. "But if you want us to trust you, you might want to try trusting us."

Silver looked away, and before anyone could say anything else, Cap's PokéGear began ringing.

"Hello?" His face went pale. "We'll get there a soon as we can."

"What is it?" Lisa asked, obviously concerned as Cap took out the Rainbow Feather and held it to the sky, summoning Ho-Oh.

"We need to get to Birth Island," Cap said, sounding like he was in some sort of shock. "NOW! Sharon tells me Henry's there, but he doesn't have long."

"What?" Silver asked, getting to his feet. "How does she know?"

"Don't know, don't care," Cap said as he climbed onto the phoenix's back. "I just know I'm gonna try to save him. You in?"

Unseen by Cap and the others, Shadow and a small contingent of Slayers were watching.

"Soon," she whispered. "All the pieces are coming together. His Will be done."

"Glory to the Dragonheed," the other Slayers whispered in unison.

_Sailing Over the Ocean in the General Direction of Sootopolis…_

"So, tell me, Lance," Giovanni called, "what are the circumstances of your need to destroy our mutual friend?"

'Lance' sneered. "Henry has never been my friend. He is just another in a long line of opponents who couldn't stomach his defeat."

"Fair enough," Giovanni nodded, casually tapping the back of Charizard's neck to ascend higher. "Then, why, might I ask, did you need to travel back in time to defeat him?"

'Lance' paused, Rayquaza continuing to glide effortlessly forward. "Do you really want to know what the future holds, Giovanni?"

"Absolutely," Giovanni answered at once, "I have a plan, after all."

"A plan that fails," 'Lance' told him flatly. "As you seem to be aware, in the future, you are killed by Henry and he successfully reclaims his Charizard."

Charizard turned one eye in 'Lance's direction, but Giovanni paid it no heed. "So I'd heard. What happens after that?"

"He allows the rest of the world to know that he's still alive, and then opts to officially gain the rank of Pokemon Master, and replaces you as Viridian City gym leader… but apparently, sometime before that, he'd gained some sort of unusual powers, granting him all the abilities of all the known Pokemon of the time."

"Abilities of Pokemon?" Giovanni repeated, "How?"

"I don't know anything beyond what Henry told me," 'Lance' answered, "and he told me he first learned how to harness his psychic power, and then through a twisted journey through space was taught to use every other element. He had access to every attack and defense just by thinking about it and declaring the attack. He combined the powers of Pokemon and trainer into one life form."

Mew squirmed, trying to gain entry to 'Lance's mind, but was deterred by Celebi. Mew needed no psychic power to detect Giovanni's intention; the Team Rocket leader wore it plainly.

"And then what happened?" Giovanni asked.

"In effect, Henry became the most powerful Pokemon trainer in the world," 'Lance' answered. "He could teach his Pokemon to use any technique, and knew every strength and weakness. Even my dragon Pokemon were no match anymore, not when every Pokemon on his team knew how to counter each of mine.

"And so he finally defeated me, once and for all… but he'd changed drastically. He no longer cared for simple victory. He wanted to be truly unstoppable. Even with a family, an unstoppable team of loyal Pokemon, and all the wealth he'd ever need, Henry's desire for power was insatiable. So, he left this planet to once again gain powers from outside Earth's reach."

"And then what happened?" Giovanni pressed, hungry for more information.

"He returned, and he began destroying, just as he had before," 'Lance' explained. "He wanted to start the world over, with himself ruling it for all eternity with all the power in his possession, and with his family as the sole inheritors." He paused a moment, glancing at Celebi. "I had to come back and stop that, so I came to Ilex Forest and asked Celebi for help. When I was refused, I captured it. I came back to undo the time stream. The side effect of denying Henry his power was bringing you back to life, thus making it entirely possible for the same event to play out again."

Giovanni listened ever more intently.

"That's why I came to gather the six Pokemon and beat Henry to the punch," 'Lance' finished. "I'll remake the world and see that he's not in it."

Mew continued to struggle in Deoxys's grasp as Giovanni thought. _Killing me somehow led Henry to the powers of all the Pokemon, and the ability to teach Pokemon every move in the world._

He cast a casual glance at Mew.

_No wonder Mew sought him out. That kind of capability is dangerous… but, if the reverse were to happen, and I were to kill Henry instead… would I gain the powers of all Pokemon?_

_And with six Pokemon in my possession, the ability to remake the world as often as necessary, and the ability to live for all time to do so?_

_If I could gain 'Lance's power to control Rayquaza –and thus Kyogre and Groudon- and then took Celebi from him, I would have seven Pokemon Henry could never hope to defeat._

He paused, glancing down at the Charizard he rode upon.

_Or, I suppose I could let him have his beloved first Pokemon back… its power will have run its course anyway. Charizard is powerful, but serves no further purpose to me._

_I will give it back, and let it see its old master's life taken away. It seems almost adolescent to bother with such a triviality but… I'll soon have all the power I've ever dreamed of, anyway. No reason not to allow myself an indulgence…_

Not too far behind them, Maxie held to his Crobat's leg and listened as best he could, and began to consider his options. If the blue orb wasn't necessary to control Groudon, and these two men had bigger ambitions than his own, what reason had he to continue allying with them? It was obvious they had no interest in granting him his own dream; they were only placating him long enough to successfully kill Henry (if they hadn't already) and then more or less start the world over.

And then what need would they have for him?

_Somewhere Beneath the Ocean, Closer to the Planet's Core…_

The heat was intense, especially in a black jacket/jeans combination. Henry was slipping in and out of consciousness as Groudon led him through the fumes and up into cooler catacombs, slowly but surely back towards Hoenn's Mt. Pyre.

Regardless of his diminished strength, Henry had to reach Giovanni and this 'future Lance.' He didn't care what awaited him, so long as he could get Mew and Charizard back.

Nothing else mattered. Not even these strange people he'd met and the little thoughts in his head that maybe he'd come to care for at least one of them more than he'd ever thought possible…

_Ecruteak_

"I'll go," Silver finally agreed. "We don't have to be friends for me to do the right thing."

He felt something rush by, followed by two more powerful gusts.

Lance smiled. "It seems Ho-Oh isn't the only creature coming to our aid." Silver glanced past the Dragon Master to spot three blurs: one red, one blue, and one yellow. "Now, then; let's get to Blackthorn."

_Soaring through the air toward Birth Island_

"You need to let go," Sharon said as she sat on Lugia's back, Melody in front of her.

Clair, who opted to ride on her own Dragonite, turned to glare at her. "What?"

"You lost," Sharon said simply. "That's why you hate my husband, isn't it? He beat you and Lance."

"Do you really take me to be that petty?" Clair shot back.

"Yup," Melody replied. "Probably that whole 'clan' mentality you--"

"He brought shame to our clan!" Clair exclaimed suddenly. "Who did he think he was?! He had no right--"

"He had **every** right!" Sharon shot back, anger all over her normally calm face. "I swear, you officials! You think your rank makes you unbeatable?! That anyone who happens to be better is some kind of threat? Well guess what? It's your _job_ to lose! Both you and Lance, it's up to you to help usher in the new generation of Gym Leaders and Elite. If you're 'unbeatable' as you'd like to believe, then the world becomes stagnant. We'll never move on."

"He had no problem moving on," Clair whispered, her venom taking a slightly different tone.

Sharon's face returned to its normal blank slate and she looked away. "You might consider learning from that."

"We're here," Melody said, cutting in before the argument could continue. "And it looks like Cap's plan worked."

Lugia landed on the island and watched warily as Ho-Oh did the same directly in front of it. The two Legendary Beasts stood watching each other as their human companions disembarked their various rides and began searching the island.

"This place has definitely seen better days," Lisa commented as Aipom nodded from her shoulder.

"Yeah, but where is everybody?" Lisa asked. "Are we too--?"

"Over here!" Sandslash yelled. After everyone had gathered, it gestured toward the ocean. "His scent ends here."

"I'm going in," Sharon said simply, preparing to jump, only to have Cap appear in front of her.

"Jeez, Mom," he sighed, holding up a Pokéball. "Learn to think before you leap, will ya?"

Cap opened the sphere, unleashing a monstrous creature. Six-foot tall in a crouch, a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, a long, three-pronged tail, all wrapped in a blue and red of package that would make a Gyarados flee in terror.

The creature eyed Silver, roared, and began to stalk toward the boy.

"Seamonstra!" Cap shouted, causing the monster to turn and face its trainer. "You will take Sharon into the water to look for Henry. You will protect her. And you will obey her as if she were me."

Seamonstra seemed to consider the commands carefully before nodding and melting into water. The water then moved toward and completely enveloped Sharon from head to toe. The woman gave a grateful nod and then jumped headfirst into the ocean below.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Silver whispered.

If he was heard, he was ignored.

"There!" Lugia suddenly cried, looking to the sky. "Mew is calling to me! Our enemy is heading toward Sootopolis!"

"Then let's go!" Cap shouted, for once receiving no argument.

Though Sandslash began singing a song that contained the lyric "This is the Ultimate Showdown..."

_Sootopolis City…_

It had only been a few weeks since they last saw the massive emerald dragon, but that didn't stop the residents from being in considerable awe. Rayquaza descended, a red-haired man in a cloak standing atop its head, arms outstretched.

Giovanni and Maxie, in the meantime, descended to the Cave of Origin, Deoxys still holding the struggling Mew as its new master stepped into the largely empty cavern, examining the ancient depictions of the three creators. "Wait here," was Giovanni's curt instruction to Maxie and Deoxys as Giovanni himself exited and flew back up on Charizard, waiting for 'Lance' to make his move.

As the Dragon Master from the future began to focus, Maxie glanced at the unfeeling Deoxys and the struggling Mew. Deoxys's own psionic emanations prevented a lot of Mew's powers from reaching out, but Maxie felt the tiny psychic cat's longing for Henry.

Maxie turned to consider. Henry was certainly no ally of his, given how their partnership had ended, but Giovanni had made it perfectly clear: no ambition mattered but Giovanni's own. Any alliance he'd formed was only necessary for a set amount of time.

Maxie again turned his attention to the struggling Mew. His dreams of using Groudon's power to form an independent nation were certainly dead now, as the blue orb sank to the bottom of the ocean, and he'd never be able to control Rayquaza with both 'Lance' and Giovanni in his way.

If he ever wanted his dream to come true at all, he'd have to take a big risk…

_Underground…_

Groudon suddenly came to a halt, and Henry noticed, even if he was trying to stay awake amongst all the heat and fumes. The armored creature extended one arm and lifted up a mess of molten rock, up towards Henry sitting on its forehead.

Henry reached out, trying not to get too close to the burning liquid, until Groudon clenched its fist, leaving behind only a single sphere, blasted by intense heat but otherwise unchanged from the last time he'd seen it: the red orb.

The key to controlling Kyogre.

Henry did not hesitate and grasped it with his left hand. He burnt into his flesh, but he didn't care; he sent a message to the behemoth, and fought against the powerful instinct to flood, instead instructing the water type to join him…

…until he spotted something else, and stopped himself. It was unusual enough being immersed into Groudon's senses, but seeing Kyogre's examinations while circling at the bottom of the ocean led him to spot something unusual: a woman draped in some sort of sea creature, albeit in a way that didn't appear to cause her any harm.

Henry focused his thoughts on but a single word: _Sharon?_

Out in the ocean, the woman in question paused in her progress, as if she had heard. She looked about before a look of determination came across her face and she began moving again.

Only to stop when she caught a rapid motion in the corner of her eye. Again, she stopped, but this time she waited. Catching the motion again, she got into the best defensive position she could and focused her gaze through the water.

What she found was Sharpedo, a veritable swarm of them, all headed her way.

In the center of the swarm, wearing some sort of underwater armor and being pulled through the water by a Cloyster, was Shadow.

_That's it_, Sharon thought. _I am officially annoyed._

Meanwhile, Lance the Dragon Master (of the present, that is) and Silver left from Birth Island towards the massive sea fortress more frequently known as 'Sootopolis City,' and even as far away as they were, they could see the green dot of Rayquaza hovering above it.

Silver spotted something else. "Lance?" he asked tentatively.

"I know," Lance nodded. "They've come because they sense it, too."

"Are they here to help us?" Silver asked.

"I have no idea," Lance answered honestly. "But I'd recommend we stay out of their way."

The two descended on their Dragonite and Crobat and allowed the three winged mirages to fly past, moving in sync with the three sacred beasts speeding across the water beneath them.

"This is getting ridiculous," Melody said from Lugia's back. "It's going to make Arshia look like a church picnic..."

"We're going to stop this," Cap said, determined from Ho-Oh's back. "And no one is going to die this time."

_Underwater_

Seamonstra's liquid form was not actually water, Sharon remembered Cap's

Pokedex telling her once, but a liquid rich in oxygen. It allowed for safe travel underwater...

...but offered crap maneuverability.

Which each passing Sharpedo blow, Sharon could feel her protective barrier growing warmer and warmer as Seamonstra was torn between respecting Cap's wishes and its instinct to kill and destroy. She tried giving it orders, but lungs full of liquid, oxygen or no, made her impossible to understand.

It soon became moot however, as the next Sharpedo collided with her stomach, separating her from Seamonstra and launching her through the ocean. She tried to cry out to her protector, but it was no use. Seamonstra had giving into its bloodlust, reforming into its regular form and tearing Sharpedo in half.

Also, without the oxygen the Pokemon provided, crying out proved to be a mistake as it allowed salt water into her lungs. Combing that with the injuries the Sharpedo had inflicted, she knew there was no way she would be able to stay conscious.

The last thing she saw before the darkness overtook her was an image of a vaguely fish-shaped shadow passing over her...

_Sootopolis_

"Tell me, Giovanni," 'Lance' requested, still standing atop Rayquaza's head, "why are you hesitating? Why are we waiting here? Wouldn't it take less time to travel to Groudon and Kyogre instead of forcing both to come here?"

"Yes, but that's not why we're waiting," Giovanni answered. "After all, the last time I was in this city, I had control over that emerald dragon you're standing upon. The combined efforts of Groudon and Kyogre –led by Henry and your former self- forced me into total retreat."

_My former self?_ 'Lance' thought, before stating: "We can't wait for them, Giovanni. The damage I've done to the time stream will be tenfold if I encounter-"

"Well, I guess that's too bad," came the curt reply, as Lance and Silver descended, both in the air with their Dragonite and Crobat. The red-haired boy locked eyes with his father, while Lance focused his attention strictly upon the future version of himself. "Cool scar."

'Lance' shuddered with anger. "You fool," he breathed out, "why are you here?"

"To save the world," Lance replied, "the same way I always do."

Silver, meanwhile, was at a loss for words, and only maintained a steady glare at Giovanni. The Team Rocket leader smirked at the boy. "So, you've gained a bit of power. Undoubtedly traveling with the Johto League champ has twisted your mind beyond repair… do you believe Pokemon to be anything more than servants?"

The Charizard he stood upon clenched one eye in anger.

"I do," Silver answered simply.

"Then you are still a fool," Giovanni told him. "You will never defeat me if you continue to waste time on such petty efforts." He struck Charizard in the neck and the fire type unleashed a jet of flame at Silver and his Crobat.

Lance and his Dragonite moved to intervene but Silver moved first, releasing his Crobat's leg and plummeting from the attack's range, allowing his poison type to dodge the fire, unburdened by its trainer's weight. Crobat unleashed a Razor Wind at Charizard, bombarding Charizard and Giovanni with slicing winds and a bit of the fire type's own flames before screeching down to catch Silver.

Giovanni actually laughed once the flames and winds had subsided. "You're clever, if nothing else… you are my son, after all. But if you continue to believe your Pokemon's lives are more valuable than your own, you will die long before your dreams come true."

Silver maintained a steady glare at him as Crobat pulled him back up.

"You must be willing to sacrifice everything else for your dreams," Giovanni told him, "to be truly ruthless and do nothing but pursue your ambition." He smiled. "Trust me… once you've obtained it, it's well worth the loss. In my case… to gain all the power this world has to offer, all I have to do is sacrifice my son." He struck Charizard again, and once more the fire type reacted, unleashing the flame in a massive sphere, encompassing a much wider area.

Lance and his Dragonite again moved to deflect the attack, but were intercepted as his counterpart from the future instructed Rayquaza, and the massive emerald dragon dove in their path, slamming Dragonite back through the air, allowing Crobat and Silver to be struck, sending both tumbling down towards the lake at the city's center.

"To be honest, I was expecting more resistance than this," Giovanni noted. "I expected we'd at least see-"

And then he and Charizard were struck by three blurs –yellow, red, and blue- as Raikou, Entei, and Suicune all blasted over the city's immense walls and leapt through the air, sending the fire type and its master for a loop.

Giovanni sneered as the trio returned and he opened a Pokeball on his waist. Mewtwo flew to Charizard's side and clenched one fist, trapping the three legendary beasts with a single expulsion of telekinetic force.

'Lance' turned his attention to his past self as the Johto League champ flew back at him, this time accompanied by three birds, flanking him on each side –Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres- and they unleashed their attacks alongside his Dragonite's Hyper Beam, striking Rayquaza with four attacks at once.

"Must I do everything myself?" Giovanni muttered, flying down towards the Cave of Origin. Mewtwo turned its attention to the three legendary birds and charged energy into its free palm, building a Shadow Ball of enormous proportion to fling at them.

And then the battle turned, as Giovanni returned, Maxie in tow. Deoxys shot past, still trapping Mew with one tentacle and slicing through the air to hit the three birds, hitting each in turn more quickly than they could react.

The sky grew dark on one side and intensely bright on the other as Lugia and Ho-Oh descended on either side, along with another Dragonite and a very angry Blackthorn city gym leader.

Giovanni smiled. "Yes, this is what I was expecting."

'Lance' glanced up at Clair, along with Lugia and its female rider. "She's still alive? But I thought by this time-" He didn't have a chance to finish as Lugia readied a powerful Aeroblast, only to be cut off as Mewtwo fired that Shadow Ball, striking the energy building in the sea guardian's mouth, creating a devastating explosion and sending it reeling back.

Ho-Oh, meanwhile, built flames between its wings, only to be struck by blasts of water from below, as the Slayers and their water types ascended from beneath the lake, Gyarados, Sharpedo, Cloyster, and a number of other powerful water Pokemon at the ready.

Giovanni focused his attention on the dark-skinned man on Ho-Oh's back. "That annoying brat from Viridian Forest…hm, I suppose that means this battle is only missing one major player. Not that it will matter, once Kyogre and Groudon have arrived to turn the tide-"

Sure enough, Kyogre lifted up behind the Slayers, surfacing and preparing to join the battle, poising itself and building water to unleash a spout. Giovanni was pleased until he noticed a familiar female lying on the creature's back, starting to stir.

Before he could react, however, the ground ruptured, and a new landbed formed in the lake, as Groudon stormed up from the new hole and lumbered out, a familiar man in black standing on its head.

"GIOVANNI!"


End file.
